Search

Did you know it is important to brush twice a day by starting off young and to develop a good oral hygiene routine?

A child’s first dental checkup should be around the age of 1 or after the first tooth erupts. While teaching a growing child to properly brush is important, they will require supervision and guidance until they develop the skills to complete on their own at a later age of 7 or older.

As adults, keeping teeth clean and establish a good brushing and flossing routine is important to prevent cavity, gingivitis and gum diseases. Children and adults should remember to get regular dental checkups twice a year. As we all know with only one set of teeth for lifetime, we should take extra care for it.

Researchers reported the three cases of scabies in infants were identified by a pediatric dermatologist during a three-month period. Further investigation was launched to find additional cases by contacting local pediatric dermatologists and hospital-affiliated pediatricians. “When evaluated, she was noted to have a rash and wore a noticeably dirty compression glove for lymphedema while on duty, making it impossible for her to clean her hands effectively.

Scabies is a contagious skin disease caused by small species of mite. It is spread by direct contact with infected people, and less often by share of clothing or bedding.

WEDNESDAY, June 1 (HealthDay News) — Compared with cellphones belonging to hospital staff, cellphones brought into the facilities by patients and the people who visit them are twice as likely to carry dangerous pathogens, a new Turkish study has found.

“The types of bacteria that were found on the patients’ [cellphones] and their resistance patterns were very worrisome,” the study authors noted in a news release from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

“Some investigators have reported that [cellphones] of medical personnel may be a potential source of bacterial pathogens in the hospital setting,” according to Dr. Mehmet Sait Tekerekoglu, of Inonu University in Malatya, Turkey, and colleagues. “Our findings suggest that [cellphones] of patients, patients’ companions and visitors represent higher risk . . . than those of health care workers. Specific infection control measures may be required for this threat.”

The findings are published in the June issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.

American Dental Accessories is proud to offer a new Premium Glove line. These gloves are the highest quality & offer the maximum comfort at a very low price. They are powder-free, easy to don, & are processed with zero human contact.

We are so sure that you will love them, that they come with a money back guarantee. Call today for free samples at 1-800-331-7993 or email us at: orders@amerdental.com

About American Dental Accessories:

Established in 1985, American Dental Accessories has grown from a small, local business to a comprehensive solution for over 90,000 dentists throughout the World. We offer a full-line of dental equipment, parts, dental supplies, and accessories. But perhaps our most significant differentiating factor from other leading dental supply companies, is our focus on superior customer service. We offer immediate customer support 64 hours a week, as well as specific technical support to help with any maintenance and installation needs. And if you don’t find what you’re looking for on our website, just call and we’ll happily place a special order. Our Everyday Low Pricing model ensures that you’re getting the most competitive price, and since our customer service representatives do not make commissions, you can be assured of always receiving unbiased, helpful advice. Call or place an online order today!

With summer right around the corner when’s the last time you had your dental office’s air conditioning checked? Legionella Pneumophilia is a gram-negative bacterium that thrives at room temperature and is commonly found in air conditioning systems.

With the stream of daily patients coming in and out of dental practice the spread of Legionella is a real threat to the health of your employees and clients alike. Regulations in UK require that all business are required to undergo a Legionella risk assessment. For us in the US a simple office plan which includes the following maybe a good start:

American Dental Association (ADA) reiterates the need for all dental practices and professionals to adhere to Dental Health Care Settings guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC).

An example of best practices for infection control include the use of masks, gloves, surface disinfectants, and sterilizing reusable dental devices. (read more)

Musical Instruments Cause of Children Sickness

Chicago- Research has shown the correlation between playing a musical instrument leads to increasing a child’s intelligence, but playing a used instrument can be detrimental to a child’s health as well.

Testing of used woodwind and brass instruments resulted in the discovery of bacteria and fungi, many that are associated with minor to serious infections and allergic diseases, according to results from a recently published study in March/April 2011 issued of General Dentistry. (read more)

DAYTON — Many employees in the Dayton VA Medical Center’s dental clinic didn’t complete required infection control training annually, according to a VA Office of Inspector General review released Monday.

The dental clinic has been under intense scrutiny since last July, when two employees alerted inspectors to one of the clinic’s dentists, Dr. Dwight Pemberton. A subsequent VA investigation found Pemberton failed to change gloves and sterilize dental instruments between patients for more than 18 years, from January 1992 to July 2010. Pemberton retired in February at age 81. (read more)

Outliers: In defense of electronic faucets

News coming out the infection control community is running hot and cold on the issue of electronic faucets.

First there was the report from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore; a study found the hands-free faucets to be infected with the Legionella bacteria to a greater degree than their handled faucets. The researchers found that 50% of samples from electronic-eye faucets were infected with Legionella, but only 15% of water cultures from manual faucets were. (read more)

Iowa not regulating all outpatient surgery centers

DES MOINES, Iowa—

Most surgical centers in Iowa face little state oversight, raising concerns by federal officials about rising infection rates they say are attributable to unsafe medical practices and a failure to follow basic patient-safety guidelines according to a published report.

Iowa’s 26 Medicare-certified ambulatory surgical centers are inspected once every three years, but there are an unknown number of centers that aren’t part of the Medicare system and do not get tracked or monitored by the federal government, The Des Moines Register reported for a story published Monday. The newspaper said Iowa doesn’t track them either because the state doesn’t require them to be licensed. (read more)

A targeted infection control strategy universally instituted at U.S. Veterans Affairs hospitals dramatically increased number of patients actively cultured for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and reduced the number of hospital-associated infections during a three-year period.

Health care-associated MRSA incidence in ICUs decreased more than 60% and rates in non-ICU settings declined 45% compared with the two years prior to implementation, data indicate. (read more)

The American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control & Epidemiology (APIC) have issued a joint statement:

The American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control & Epidemiology (APIC) support and celebrate the presentation of new scientific evidence from professional organizations. On April 2, 2011, Dr. Sydnor and her colleagues at Johns Hopkins Health System presented an abstract, titled Electronic-eye Faucets: Help or Hindrance to Infection Control and Prevention, at the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) 2011 Annual Scientific Meeting in Dallas. In brief, this investigation found that 50 percent of cultures of water from 20 electronic, infrared-activated faucets revealed the presence of Legionella spp., compared with 15 percent of the cultures from 20 manual faucets. Water from the electronic fixtures also had a higher proportion of other bacteria, 26 percent as compared to 13 percent for the manual fixtures, but this is not a statistically significant difference. (read more)

Hand washing monitor reduces infection rate in Miami hospital

A new system that automatically monitors hand washing at hospitals looks to dramatically lower the infection rate.

Infections acquired in the hospital are dangerous for patients, especially children being treated for cancer. (read more)

Study Finds Drop in Deadly V.A. Hospital Infections

ATLANTA — An aggressive four-year effort to reduce the spread of deadly bacterial infections at veterans’ hospitals is showing impressive results and may have broad implications at medical centers across the country, according to the first comprehensive assessment of the program, which was released Wednesday afternoon.

The study of 153 Veterans Affairs hospitals nationwide found a 62 percent drop in the rate of infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, in intensive care units over a 32-month period. There was a 45 percent drop in MRSA prevalence in other hospital wards, like surgical and rehabilitation units. (read more)

Hand washing may be effective as HFMD control measure

Emphasizing proper hand washing during outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease and herpangina caused by the human enterovirus 71 infection may help to control the outbreak, according to a study published online.

Researchers from the Chinese Field Epidemiology Training Program of the CDC in Beijing submitted a questionnaire to parents of children living in the Qiaosi Township of the Zhejiang province of China during the outbreak, which began in late April and ended at the end of June 2008. (read more)

Hospital workers and infections: training needed

As a registered nurse at a hospital in Montreal, I care for patients dealing with nosocomial infections every day. Although patients today are growing older and becoming more sick, this is not the only reason hospital-borne infections are on the rise/not improving.

It is good to see more infection-control nurses being trained, but any persons (doctors, patient attendants, transport) who come into contact with a patient should be trained in basic infection-control procedures (such as hand-washing and wearing gowns and gloves when appropriate) as well. (read more)

The urging came after two patients tested positive for hepatitis B due to improper infection control practices at the center’s dental clinic. (read more)

It’s World Health Day: WHO Says The World is Losing Battle to Superbug

Here’s some great news to mark World Health Day: a new report shows that a gene that causes bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics has been found throughout the water supply in New Delhi. The implications for the rest of the world are massive—and are already being seen in Europe, where the same gene, New Delhi or NDM-1 superbug, has been found in patients. European health experts are saying that the battle with antibiotic-resistant infections has reached a critical point, and even the strongest and newest drugs are no longer able to fight them. (read more)

World Health Day Focuses on Antibiotic Resistance

April 7 marks 2011’s World Health Day, with a focus on antibiotic resistance.

When the first antibiotics were introduced in the 1940s, they were hailed as “wonder drugs”, the miracles of modern medicine. And rightly so. Widespread infections that killed many millions of people every year could now be cured. Major diseases, like syphilis, gonorrhoea, leprosy, and tuberculosis, lost much of their sting. The risk of death from something so common as strep throat or a child’s scratched knee virtually vanished. (read more)